1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an X-ray device including an X-ray irradiation region controller to control a region to which X-rays are irradiated, and a method for controlling the X-ray irradiation region using the X-ray device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An X-ray device is an apparatus for diagnosing diseases without incising the bodies of animals or patients by irradiating X-rays to animals or patients, detecting the X-rays transmitted into and through the bodies of animals or patients and thereby obtaining an image of an inner structure of the bodies.
Here, an X-ray is an electromagnetic wave having high transmittance irradiated when high-speed electrons collide with an object. Generally, an X-ray tube that emits thermoelectrons includes filaments to generate an X-ray and an electrode to form a strong electric field with a high voltage. When the high voltage generated by a high-voltage supply is applied to the X-ray tube, a filament serving as a cathode emits the thermoelectrons. The emitted thermoelectrons travel in a controlled direction due to the strong electric field and collide with an anode, and an X-ray is generated at the point with a small size where the thermoelectrons collide with the anode.
Generally, an X-ray device includes the X-ray tube to generate X-rays, an X-ray irradiation region controller to control a region to which the X-rays are irradiated and a detector to detect X-rays having passed through an object.
The X-ray irradiation region controller controls the region to which X-rays are irradiated by blocking X-rays with a substance, such as lead or tungsten, to rapidly attenuate the X-rays. The X-ray irradiation region controller includes a structure to irradiate a visible ray to the region to which X-rays are irradiated in order to enable a user to observe an irradiation region of X-rays that cannot be seen by the naked eye. The user observes the X-ray irradiation region by the naked eye through this structure and controls the region of X-rays irradiated to the object by controlling an aperture of an X-ray irradiation region control unit. Such a method has a problem in that a structure, such as a visible light source disposed in the X-ray irradiation region control unit and a reflector to convert an irradiation direction of visible light into an irradiation direction of X-ray, is abnormally disposed, so visible light is irradiated to a region different from the region to which X-rays are irradiated and abnormal X-ray imaging is thus performed. Also, this method has a problem in that imaging is performed in a wider region than required in order to avoid re-imaging due to the difficulty of accurate designation of an X-ray irradiation region and patients are thus exposed to irradiation of unnecessary X-rays from such re-imaging.